ACKS has different classes level up at different exp points, ACKS Player's Companion has a custom class guide that lets you build characters so I've used it to redo the core classes to level up at the same pace as the ACKS Mage. I've also left out the "trade power now for more power later" aspect of ACKS classes

Very straightforward. Having 1d10 hitdice is uncommon in ACKS so I see this as the fighter's 'special power', especially in a level 1 party where most characters have no more hitpoints than the max damage output of an arbalest.

As a total freebie to make Fighters slightly more interesting the Fighter gets 3 additional proficiency points to spend on general/fighter class skills like berserking, swashbuckling, maneuvers, and brewing.

Mage
Arcane4 2500exp

The ACKS Mage kept as is. His teeny tiny d4 hitdice looks even smaller compared to a d10 fighter. Sleep is an awesome spell that will make you welcome in any adventuring company anyways.

In my experience thieves die more often than every other character class. Light armor, low hitpoints, and a class ability that encourages you to sneak off ahead and not actually know if the ogres see you or not and tinker with deadly traps makes for a very death prone character. This is alleviated in the Specialist a teeny bit with d8 hitdice and a huge amount of points (15) to spend on thievery and general/class proficiencies.

A houserule I'm using is you can spend your thievery points twice on the same thief skill to count as 1 level higher when using that skill. This is to make up for the higher exp costs to level up.

So a dungeoneering specialist would double up their thief points on find and remove traps and proficiency in engineering and stonework, while a medical/poison specialist can pour a lot of points into alchemy, herbology, healing and perhaps sneaking.

Cleric
HD2 1000exp
Fighting 1a 500exp
Divine 3 1000exp

Compared to an ACKS cleric, this class has more hitdice and more spells. Pretty straightforward, though I'm not sure if ACKS custom class rules the Cleric has any spells at level 1.

Less hitdice than a fighter but fightier than a rogue, this multiclass is the 'assassin' and 'explorer' equivalent. Put your points in backstab, acrobatics, and sneaking to be a manhunting assassin. Put your points in trap finding/disarming n' listen to be a dungeon delving treasure hunter.

"Paladin"
HD2 1000exp
Fighting 2 1000exp
Divine 2 500exp

Compared to the cleric, the paladin trades one divine rank for better fighting abilities. Another way to view this is a straight power boost of the ACKS cleric, the tradeoff being slower leveling.

Basically the Wonderworker racial class with less features in exchange for faster leveling. The single rank of Thievery is only for mage/cleric/general proficiencies and not thief skills, largely so a level 1 Thaumaturge that has yet to access their casting can still support the party with proficiencies.

On the "Bard" class

Instead of making them their own class, any other class can decide to spend a proficiency point during character creation to pick up Inspire Courage, Loremastery and/or Magical Music. This allows for a large variety of bard-type characters from armored battle Skalds roaring ballads in the middle of battle to magical enchanters taming beasts with song, though Specialists have the most proficiency points to spare for this.

This was largely done for fun as I just got my hands on the ACKS player's companion this week. I doubt it's really all that balanced, but it's ACKS rejiggered with a few more modern sensibilities.

Last edited by OgreBattle on Thu Oct 29, 2015 5:01 pm; edited 4 times in total